1. Field
Aspects of embodiments of the present invention relate to a rechargeable battery.
2. Description of the Related Art
A rechargeable battery differs from a primary battery in that it can be repeatedly charged and discharged, while the latter is incapable of being recharged.
A low-capacity rechargeable battery is commonly used in small portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, notebook computers, and camcorders, while a high-capacity rechargeable battery can be widely used as a power source for driving a motor of hybrid vehicles, electric vehicles, and the like.
Recently, a high-power rechargeable battery using a non-aqueous electrolyte and having high energy density has been developed, and the high-power rechargeable battery consists of a large-capacity rechargeable battery in which a plurality of rechargeable batteries are connected in series, such that it can be used as a power source for driving a motor of a device requiring a large amount of electric power, such as a hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, or the like.
In addition, a high-capacity rechargeable battery generally includes a plurality of rechargeable batteries connected in series, and the rechargeable battery may have a cylindrical shape, a prismatic shape, etc.
When an internal pressure of the rechargeable battery, of which a case is made of a metal, etc., is increased by an abnormal reaction, the case should be opened, and charging and discharging operations need to be disabled.
In order to disable the charging and discharging operations, a short circuit should be induced to discharge a charged current.
The above information disclosed in this Background section is only for enhancement of understanding of the background of the invention and, therefore, it may contain information that does not form the prior art that is already known in this country to a person of ordinary skill in the art.